Drying machine for wool and other materials



Aug;

HAWMNS INE FOR WOOL AND OTHER MTERALS DRYING MACH Filed Aug. .L 1923 E Shtzet-Sheet l Aug. 5Q w24. www? T. W. HAVVKINS ADRYYING MACHINE FOR WOOL AND OTHER MATERIALS Filed Aug. 4, 1923 2 Sheets-Shea?, 2

@y yum/ @im Patented Aug. 5, 1926i.`

TED YSTTES THOMAS WHITEHEAD HAWKINS, OIF RUABON, WALES.

DRYING MACHINE FOR IIVOOL AND OTHER MATERIALS.

Application led August 4, 1923.

To all whom t may concern:

` Be it known that I, THOMAS VVHITEHEAD HAWKINS, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Acrefair Engineering Works, Ruabon, in the county of Denbigh, Wales, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Connection with Drying Machines for Wool and Other Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for drying wool and other like substances or material.

In the drying of fibrous material ithas hitherto been proposed to draw heated air through a chamber within which are located two perforated or like endless bandslbetween which the material -Vis conveyed through the chamber so that the air passes through said bands on its way to the out-V let. Such apparatus, however, is not satisfactory for drying wool and like material for the reason that the air will naturally seek the easiest way through and therefore to a large extent passes'through such parts of the bands as are not covered by the wool, and such parts as are covered to a less extent than others whereby it results that a large part of the wool in passing through would be dried insufficiently or not at all. The object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of wool drying machine which will obviate the defects and disadvantages of existing or hitherto known machines, and the invention consists in va wool drying or like machinein which the wool or like material is conveyed through the Yapparatus between two perforated or like belts or bands characterizedY by the feature that avplurality of independent controlled or guided supplies of air or other drying medium are simultaneously passed through the material during its passage from one end to the other of the machine.

The invention also consists in wool drying or like ,apparatus of the above character characterized by the feature that both endless bands extend beyond the end of the machine so that they are easily accessible for cleaning from the Aexterior of the drying chambers while at'the same time the whole of the space between the belts or bands will be visible from the exterior so that the condition may be readily ascertained before fresh material is fedto the machine, this Serial No. 655,725.l

being particularly desirable in connection with the drying of wool where it is important that diderent qualities or colours of wool should not become mixed.

The invention also consists in other details hereinafter pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one convenient form of machine in accordance with the invention:

Figure l being a side elevation, and

Figure 2 a plan, while Figure 3 is a cross-sectional elevation on a somewhat larger scale.

In carrying my invention into effect when constructing my machine particularly for drying wool, I make it with a number of independent compartments a int-o which the dry air may be caused to pass and these com` partments may be suitably constructed and arranged so as to make a series of spaces or chambers through which the same layer of wool may pass in order that when it reaches the final or end compartment or chamber the wool may be adequately and properly dried with the necessary degree of moisture removed therefrom.

I make my compartments preferably in the form of chambers, the upper portion of which may be circular or curved, as shown, so as to deflect the air when passing in an upward direction and cause it to fall or traverse in an opposite or downward direction through the layer of wool that is passing through and beneath it when such a duplex action upon the wool is found necessary.

I arrange beneath the compartments an air supply duct having suitable valves or regulators c therein into which duct I deliver air from a fan or other blower a? after such air has left the blower and been heated and dried to a sufficient extent to enable it to be in the most satisfactory condition for absorbing the moisture from the wool through which it passes.

I provide my apparatus with a series of rollers c for the purpose of supporting and carrying moving aprons or belts f, g, and these rollers also serve to keep the chambers separate so that the heated air is prevented as far as possible from escaping from one chamber to another without passing up or down through the material being treated. Between the two parallel moving belts I place the wool 7L (Figure 3) that is to be llU dried or treated in my machine, the wool being fedon to the outside portion of the apron projectingV beyond the machine by means of a conveyor i in order that it mayV aprons that are travelling in the same di- .Y

rection with the wool between them to deliver the wool at the outside of my machine ata postion where the aprons pass over pulleys 7c, Z, in orderthat they may travel in lthe reverse direction through the machine to thepulleys m, n at the opposite end,

providing any necessary supplementary guiding bearings or pulleys 0. The pulleys at either or both ends of the aprons may actas drivers for imparting 'the motion'Y thereto. i

- In the drawing` I have shown the pulleys v k, Z as the driving pulleys for the aprons,

such pulleys being in turn driven by the worm p and worm wheels Q or by other suitable means. lFurther, each of the pulleys may be adjustabley in its bearings for ad.- justng the aprons.

IA causerthe wool that is travelling upon and ybetween the moving belts which travel at. the same uniform speed with the wool between their surfaces to jbe subjected preferably to an vupward and downward current of dry or hot air, in order that moisture may be removed therefrom, and the downflowing vair may then pass into a duct or chamber r which leads back to the fan for supplying to some degree the air that is to be again in part used for drying` purposes after the moisture hasbeen removed or has escaped therefrom. Such air may kbereturned to the fan by the pipe s and I may arrange in said pipe slots or openings s* adapted toV be wholly'or partly registered` with slots e3 provided in an adjustable shutter ringl S2 sothat any desired quantity of fresh air may be drawn in by the Vi'anto compensate for any moist air which it may be inadvisable to return to the fan.

I may arrange iny inlet duct which receives its hot or dry air from the fan chainber to pass along beneath the entire series of-independent drying chambers with inlets for each drying compartment provided and l arranged thereupon, 'each inlet having its cwn controlling valve mounted therein.

This common air supply duct I make of a narrower width at the bottoni than the conimony outlet duct into which the outflowing downward currents :of the air are delivered in order that the machineinay be self-con tainedand that thelcwer portion or casing may carry the inlet duct or common supply trough within that which forms the outlet or discharge trough, making the inlet duct Vmachine.

chambers to the fan. Y Y 3. In an apparatusforldrying'wool and to deliver air to the eXtreme width'of the aprons that arev passing through the I ydo not limit the application Vof my invention `to any particular number of independent chambers into which the air is to be supplied and through which the moving latticed belts or aprons of any usual construction are to pass, but I modify the number and form of' such drying chambers and the arrangement of the belts Vand rollers be,

neath them, together` with thev shape and Y but the two Vforward surfaces of the' beltsl Y always having between themY the Vwool that is tobe dried when such are passing through the multiple drying chambers.V

I employ any suitablerform of belting,VV

apron, fan or blowing Vapparatus lfor Vuse drying machine and utilizeanyrwell-known forni of heater or device fordrying or giving vheat Vto the air before it passes'through theV travelling aprons with theV wool a'rV ranged Vbetween such.A VI modify the-form and disposition 'of my carrierV andducts to in Yconnection with myimproved quickspeed suit the requirements ofany material that is to be dried, vin the manner A'substantially as described when operating upon wool. e p Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and Vdesi'reto secure by Letters Patent is Y i l; In a drying apparatus for wol and the like, series of drying chambers, traveling open-work carriers'passing'through said chambers to carry the'materi'al'to..Kbe`treated therethrough, a fam-an inlet Vduct lfor the drying chambers communicating withsaid fan and having a plurality'of outlets, eachV outlet Vterminating in proximity to a portion of the carrier located `inf'one dryingVV chamber, and air outletmeans communieating with the portion of the drying chamber lying on the'same side of' the carriers with the air duct outlets. Y Y' 2. VAn apparatus as claimedin Vclaim l, characterized in that theinletdu'ctV for the air is surrounded by the outlet' means, A the latter leading the air back from the drying thelike, a series of drying Vchambers,'travel-l ingopen work carriers passing-through saidchambers tocarry the material tobe treat` ed therethrough, a fan, an air inlet duct Yfor* the drying chambers communicating with said fan and having a plurality of outlets, each outlet terminating in proximity to a portion of the carrier located in one drying chamber, and supporting rollers for the carriers arranged adjacent the opposed sides of each of the outlets of the inlet duct whereby to compel the air issuing from said outlets to pass through the carriers and the material thereon.

4. An apparatus for drying wool andthe like in which the wool is conveyed through the apparatus between two foraminous carriers, characterized by the provision of means for directing streams of fluid drying medium simultaneously through the material during its passage from one end to the other of the machine, and means for independently controlling the respective streams of drying medium.

5. In an apparatus for drying wool and like material, a plurality of drying chambers arranged side by side, traveling openwork carriers passing through said chambers to carry the material to Vbe treated therethrough, means arranged on one side of said carriers for directing streams of air through portions of the carriers locaited Wit-hin the respective chambers, a fan, a common supply pipe connecting said i'an with the several air directing means, means for causing the air passed through the carriers and the material thereon to return to the chambers on Athe first mentioned side of the carriers, said chambers having communication with one another on the iirst mentioned side of said carriers, and means for returning the air from the communicating portions of said chambers to said fan.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that the fan, air inlet duct, chambers and air outlet means constitute a closed circuit for the air, and means permitting and regulating the admission of air to said circuit.

In testimony whereol:l I have signed my name to this specification.

THOMAS WHITEHEAD HAWKINS.

Witness:

CLYDE S. Mossor. 

